TweedleTay & His Evil Twin
by girl-inspired
Summary: LA Babe Michaela Morgan and teen pop star Tweedle-Tay Manson look eerily alike. When Michaela's grandmother dies, she discovers a horrible but not-so-surprising secret. The first (and worst) in the five-part Tweedle-Tay Saga, a Hanson fanfic parody.
1. Prologue

This story begins in the same way that all good stories begin.......  
Once upon a time there lived a married couple named Fergie and Skipper Manson. Skipper was a dashing young man who had a promising job as an executive in an oil company and Fergie had recently given up her successful modeling career to care for their son, Neuton. Even after her post-birth weight gain, Fergie was still the fairest lady of all of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Everything in Fergie's and Skipper's lives was perfect....... everything except, well, to be perfectly frank, their two year old son Neuton strongly resembled a horse. So we can all imagine how thrilled they were when they discovered that God had given them a second chance, a chance to have the perfect child. One night they were lying together (in separate beds of course) discussing their soon to be born child.  
"God, all we want is the perfect child," said Skipper, looking at the glow-in-the-dark stars on the roof.  
"With long blonde hair, as golden as the sun," said Fergie, looking at her own reflection in the wardrobe mirror.  
"And big blue eyes, like deep pools of water."  
"A little girl."  
"A little boy."  
"A boy!!?" Fergie sat up straight, not allowing the blanket to drop. "We already have a boy! A little girl would make the family complete."  
"And not procreate for the rest of our lives? There is plenty of time for girls. Right now all we need is a son."  
"One of each would be perfect," mumbled Fergie as she drifted off to sleep. 


	2. Chapter 1 Fergie's Story

Chapter 1 - Fergie's Story  
March 14, 1983 - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
  
I looked down at the little bundles of joy that lay in my lap. Both babies had, like Skipper and I had hoped, golden hair and blue eyes. They were identical in every way, except that one was a girl and one was a boy. And so we had wrapped one baby in pink and the other in blue.  
My elder son Neuton cantered into the room. "Momma!" he gasped running towards me. He hoisted himself onto my lap. "Bubbies!"  
I smiled down at him. Now that I had these two perfect looking angels Neuton's equine qualities didn't seem nearly as big a problem. "Neuton, meet your new brother and sister. Their names are Tweedle-Tay and Michaela."  
"Pretty bubbies."  
"Yes, I do believe that they are the most beautiful babies in the world."  
"Momma?"  
"Yes Neuton?"  
"Where did they come from?"  
I blushed. Sex education was not my specialty. "Where did what come from?"  
"The bubbies."  
"The bubbies?"  
Neuton nodded and sucked his thumb. "The bubbies."  
"They ah.... well..... the stork brought them."  
"Momma?"  
"Yes Neuton?"  
"I brought you a present."  
Neuton presented me with a small wilted flower. I smiled wanly. "It's lovely."  
"Flowers are pretty, just like Michaela."  
"And Tweddle-Tay dear, and Tweedle-Tay........"  
Skipper skipped into the room, his Polaroid camera draped around his neck. "Does everyone know what time it is?"  
I clapped my hands together in joy. "Photo time!!!! Oh do take some."  
"That's right, it's photo time", Skipper cried, snapping one of the babies. Michaela started crying from the shock of the flash. Tweedle-Tay quickly joined her and Neuton chimed in as well. There was something unusual about that cry but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Then it hit me. My three children were singing a C major chord in perfect harmony. It was a rare occasion when the crying of babies was actually pleasant to listen to. Skipper heard it too and smiled at me, "With voices like these, imagine the money we'll make." I was taken aback.  
Skipper did not notice and picked up the now developed photo. He sat down to give Neuton and I a closer look. Neuton looked at me strangely. "Momma, that baby has red eyes," he said, pointing to the picture. And sure enough, in the photo Michaela's eyes glowed red.  
Skipper jumped up in shock. "Red eyes!! Red eyes?? Do you have any idea what red eyes mean? They mean that our child is the devil's spawn."  
"Skipper! How could you say such an awful thing?" I cried. "I'm sure it was just the flash reacting badly with her eyes."  
"No. That was no flash. Last week some nice people came by our house and I invited them in. They taught me all the signs of the devil and that was one of them. I know it sounds harsh, Fergie, but we have to get rid of Michaela."  
"Please Skipper. Don't be silly. Think about it." I begged.  
"We either get rid of her now or she'll murder us all."  
"No. We have to keep her. For me. For you. For Neuton. And for Tweedle-Tay, who will have to grow up without his twin sister."  
"We'll all be better off without the devil in our house."  
"Well if you won't do it for us, do it for the money you can make out her angelic voice."  
"Forget it Fergie. We'll have another child and form the band that way. We can either go home right now and leave Michaela in the hospital or you can stay here with her and I'll leave with Neuton and Tweedle-Tay." Skipper was threatening.  
"I hate you for this," I said softly to Skipper as I picked up my bag and newborn son and walked out of the room. I blew a kiss to Michaela. I really did hate Skipper, for separating me from my only daughter. That's why we had so many more children, in the hope of having another baby as perfect as Michaela. And that's why I brought Tweedle-Tay up in exactly the same way I would have brought up Michaela. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
From the moment Michaela was left alone in the hospital her life began to differ greatly with Tweedle-Tay's. She was quickly adopted by an aging aristocrat, who needed an heir for her fortune, and went to live in Los Angeles, California. She attended Beverly Hills High School and was the kind of girl who had everything. Even at thirteen, Michaela was tall and slim, with long blonde hair, big blue eyes, lots of boyfriends and a bulging bank balance.  
Tweedle-Tay also had these things (tall, slim, long blond hair, big blue eyes, soon to be bulging bank balance - not many boyfriends though) but his lifestyle was very different. Tweedle-Tay was stuck in sleepy Tulsa, Oklahoma and was being home schooled by his mother, Fergie. As a result of this, Tweedle-Tay only had five friends in the whole world, his brothers and sisters Neuton (16), Grubbery (11), Elizabeth (8), Kestrel (5) and MacArthy (2).  
Despite the social differences (and slightly different accents), Michaela and Tweedle-Tay were exactly alike physically (except for the obvious difference). And that brings us up to date with the story......... 


	4. Chapter 3 TweedleTay's Story

Chapter 3 - Tweedle-Tay's Story  
  
November 25, 1996 - Los Angeles, California  
  
I guess the first time I noticed anything was that day at the shopping mall in LA. My brothers Grubbery, Neuton and I had just gotten a record deal with Jupiter Records and no one was more surprised about our success than I was. I mean, we weren't all that good. We'd done the little town fairs circuit and such in Oklahoma but nothing substantial. And now all these men in suits were sucking up to us. It just didn't make sense. Oh well, I certainly wasn't complaining.  
On that particular day we were on a break from recording and we decided to go out to lunch. As we didn't have a lot of money on us we slummed it at the local shopping mall. I ordered fish fingers and coke, Neuton ordered a burger and Grubbery ordered a chocolate sundae. We were sitting in the food courtyard eating our lunch when I noticed them. There was a group of about four girls walking towards us. I'm not some hormone crazed kid, but they were all pretty, and I do like to watch. There was something unusual about one of these girls. Like the rest of them she was wearing a short skirt, fitted jacket, tiny T-shirt and socks just below the knee but...... She was also tall and slim with long blond hair and big blue eyes.... then it hit me - I was staring at a mirror image of myself, or at least what I would look like in drag. It was amazing - I would make such a pretty girl!  
I looked at my brothers, to see if they had noticed what seemed to be my doppelganger, but Grubbery was pouring sugar down his throat and Neuton was eating complimentary oats. My gaze returned to the girl, who was now staring at me with a strange look on her face. I turned away, embarrassed and when I looked up again, she was gone. 


	5. Chapter 4 Michaela's Story

Chapter 4 - Michaela's Story  
  
March 24, 1997 - Los Angeles, California  
  
I ran into the house and slammed my folder onto the kitchen bench. My Grandma, Annabelle Morgan, looked away from the television and at me. "Ah, Michaela, you look more and more beautiful everyday," she said.  
"Stop it Grandma. You know I'm not pleased with you," I said, taking my hair out of my plait.  
"You're not still upset about the party, are you?" she asked.  
"Yes. My birthday was on a Friday, perfect for a party and you wouldn't let me have one. I don't care what you say, fourteen is not too young for a party." I grabbed a chocolate bar out of the refrigerator and sat down on the couch. I snatched the remote control from Grandma and changed the channel to MTV. "The least you can do is let me watch something decent instead of that dumb cooking show." I knew I was being awful but I didn't care.  
"Whatever you want Michaela. It's fine with me. What are these nice girls called?" Grandma asked.  
Wannabe was playing. "They're the Spice Girls, Grandma, and they're not nice, they're awful - rude and crude."  
She smiled wryly. "So you'd get along well with them, yes?"  
I threw a pillow at her. "No."  
We sat out the whole song and a new one that I hadn't heard before started playing. It didn't sound that great but you can't judge a song by its first few bars. The band had these two girls and a guy in it. They looked pretty young, like around my age. Then the lead singer started to sing. It was sooooo cool (not the song - that pretty much sucked) she sounded exactly like me.  
"That girl looks an awful lot like you Michaela. You could be twins," Grandma had noticed it too.  
The phone rang. I picked it up. "Yo Kay!" the voice called.  
"Oh hi Chrissie," I said.  
"Kay, you have to turn your television to MTV. There's this girl on there and she looks and sounds exactly like you, have you been doing studio work?"  
"No. But I did notice the girl....... and you guys always said I had a really bad voice and should stop singing, well sucked in!"  
"Shit Kay! She looks so much like you, especially in the car bit!"  
"Yah. She's my doppelganger."  
"Oh mi god! She's wearing the same clothes as you were wearing at school today."  
I looked down. It was true. I was wearing jeans and a red shirt and jacket. "This is just too weird."  
Chrissie burst out laughing. "You know Kay, is so typical that if the lead singer looked and sounded like you they'd have a really shit song."  
"Yeah, it isn't much good but other than that this is really exciting."  
"Whatever," said Chrissie. The song had finished and the bimbo presenter was on screen.  
"Wow! What a great song!" the presenter said. "It's called MMMPop, it's by a hot new band named Manson and I think it's going to be a huge hit. Manson is made up of three great looking guys -"  
"No shit! It's a guy!" said Chrissie.  
"- Neuton, 16, Tweedle-Tay, 14 just last week and Grubbery, who's just 11. That's right - they're just your age. What's more we have them right here in the studio ready to discuss MMMPop and they're lives. Hi guys!"  
Anyway, you get the idea. The presenter went on about the Manson's and how "cute" they were and how talented they were and how MMMPop was such a clever song. Words cannot describe how happy I was when Just A Girl by No Doubt came on and put an end to the drivel. 


	6. Chapter 5 TweedleTay's Story

Chapter 5 - Tweedle-Tay's Story  
May 16, 1997 - New York, New York  
  
In less than two months my brothers and I had gone from three guys who often got mistaken for girls on the street to teen heart-throbs holding pride of place on every twelve year old girl's bedroom wall in the country. It was great fun and a real ego boost, but it was also really tiring. I had no time left to just be myself, instead I had to be nice to every dog girl who came my way and I always had to smile and wave at every fan who looked at me. Sometimes I wished those girls would just go away..........  
But for now it was fun. Rather than studying algebra and chemical science I got to play our songs (MMMPop, Here's the Love and I Will Come On You among others) and do interviews with cool magazines like Sixteen, Brassy and BeeBop. Doing the interviews wasn't too hard because, being flavour of the month, everything I said would be interpreted into its best possible light.  
So for now I was enjoying being the proverbial Adonis of eternity for every girl under the age of fourteen in the Western world. After all, at this stage I was not aware of Michaela and the evils she would bring to me. 


	7. Chapter 6 Michaela's Story

Chapter 6 - Michaela's Story  
September 17, 1997 - Los Angeles, California  
  
"Oh my god! Oh my god! It's him! It's really Tay!" screamed a bunch of seventh graders as I walked past the Junior High School. It was something that I'd become accustomed to but it was not fun. Thankfully, since I had started High School it did not happen in school, high schoolers weren't into Manson. Still, it had become impossible to walk down the street in jeans and a T-shirt. It seemed that I had to wear dresses, high heals, lots of make up and my hair in pig tails or plaits so that I would not be mistaken for Tweedle-Tay Manson. Unfortunately, his nickname Tay rhymed with my nickname Kay and I had turned around several times thinking that people were calling me. It was a lesson I'd learnt.  
  
*********************  
  
"Okay. Who can do this one? x2 + 8x + 15 = 0" The math teacher was trying in vain to explain quadratic equations. I looked around the class. No one put up their hand. I reluctantly raised mine. "Yes Michaela?"  
"(x + 3)(x + 5) = 0 Therefore x = -3 or -5" I said softy.  
"Very good. If only everyone could be as bright as Michaela."  
The rest of the class snickered, mumbling something about Tweedle- Tay. Yet another drawback of the Mansons's fame. Although I had been the most popular girl in the school less than a year ago, my strong resemblance to Tweedle-Tay had changed all that. The general consensus at school was no longer that Tweedle-Tay looked like a girl, it was that I looked like a guy. And so no guy would be seen with me, for fear that they would look gay. I didn't have any female friends either. It was really pissing me off. While fame had made Tay, Neut and Grub the happiest boys on earth, it had ruined my life and made me miserable.  
"Michaela? Michaela? Michaela Morgan!"  
I looked up. There was an office girl standing in the doorway. "Michaela Morgan. The Mr. Kent wants to see you. He says its important."  
I stood up, picked up my books and walked to the door. "Coming." I said. I walked with the girl down the hall. "Do you have any idea what it could be about?" I asked.  
"Sorry. He said it was private."  
"Right."  
We arrived at Mr. Kent's office. I hoped I wasn't in trouble. After all, I couldn't think of any other reason why I would be called to the principal.  
"Mr. Kent?" said the office girl. "Michaela Morgan is here to see you."  
"Come in Michaela." called a voice from inside the room.  
I stood up and walked inside. "Good afternoon Mr. Kent," I said.  
"Good afternoon Michaela. Take a seat. I'm sorry to drag you out of class like this but I feel this is most important. Which class are you missing?"  
"Math."  
"Well, I hope this won't disadvantage you, but -"  
"It's fine. I'll catch up."  
Mr. Kent gave me a little smile and then his serious expression returned. "Michaela, there's no easy way to tell you this........"  
"I'm not being expelled am I!?" I interrupted yet again.  
"Now Michaela, I can not think of any reason why that should happen, can you?" Mr. Kent, was getting slightly annoyed but his tone was still sympathetic. I shook my head. "Michaela, I am very very sad that I have to be the person that tells you this but........ this morning you grandmother had a heart attack. She called 911 to get an ambulance, but, by the time the ambulance arrived it was too late............ your grandmother has passed away."  
I shook my head. "No. No. There must have been some sort of mistake. My grandmother isn't dead. My grandmother, Annabelle Morgan is still alive."  
But deep down I knew it was probably true. This was not the sort of thing that would happen to the Manson's but it sure as hell was the sort of thing that would happen to me. 


	8. Chapter 7 The Lawyer's Story

Chapter 7 - The Lawyer's Story  
September 21st, 1997 - Los Angeles, California  
  
I had met Michaela about a year before, but on this day, the day of the reading of Annabelle Morgan's last will and testament, there was something different about her. If this had happened a year ago, she would have been dressed up in a little black dress, caring (of course) about her grandmother's death, but, in all honesty, caring more about her own appearance. However, the Beverly-Hills-Brat had left her personality and she was now a much more mellow, quiet, less confident girl. It wasn't just her Annabelle's death, it was something else as well. I liked her a lot more this way but I don't think she liked herself. Now Michaela was wearing a simple long black dress and a somber expression. She was the only person at the reading as Annabelle had no family.  
"Good morning Michaela." She just nodded. "I know this is a hard time for you, but it is important that we read the will."  
"It's okay." She said softly. "Grandma was the only living relative or friend that I had in the entire world. No material thing she could give me would make up for her presence."  
"Yes. We're all sad about Annabelle's death but this has to be done." I cleared my throat and started the paper. "'The last will and testament of Annabelle Morgan. As I have no living relatives, I leave my entire fortune to my granddaughter Michaela. This includes $4 000 000 in cash, estates in Beverly Hills, Aspen and Miami, an apartment block in New York and shares in Disney, Jupiter Records and K-Mart.' Annabelle always got straight to the point."  
Michaela stood up. "Well if that's all I'll be going," she said.  
"No Michaela, that's not all. You may be a rich heiress but you are also a scared and confused young girl. There's more to be dealt with. Annabelle had a message she wanted to be read to you when she passed away. 'Michaela, I have something to confess to you. I am not your real grandmother. I adopted you when you were abandoned in a hospital on the day you were born, but I have loved you more than I could have if you were my own granddaughter. I could not have asked for a better companion. You have always been bright and sunny and your prettiness has brightened up my house. Do not lose these traits because of your sadness about my death. If you remain true to yourself, I'm sure your many talents will take you far in life.'" I looked at Michaela. She sat perfectly still.  
"Well," she said at last. "I guess it doesn't make any difference now. I love my Grandma, and I will miss her, and it doesn't make any difference, whether I was adopted or not."  
"I'm glad you feel that way," I replied. "But there's still something else that needs to be sorted out. You may be very rich, but you are only fourteen, and still a minor. You need adult supervision and I'm afraid that if you can't find yourself a home with responsible adults within thirty days you will become a ward of the state."  
"Well, I guess if I'm adopted I must have a family somewhere. My first choice would be to go and live with them."  
"Yes. Perhaps that would be the best idea. But remember Michaela, you only have thirty days. I will meet you in this room on the 21st of October and if you do not have a home by then you will have to go into foster care."  
Michaela smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Ms. Winters, I will do my best. For myself and for Grandma."  
"Michaela," I said happily. "I'm impressed with your newfound maturity." 


	9. Chapter 8 Michaela's Story

Chapter 8 - Michaela's Story  
September 21st, 1997 - Los Angeles, California  
  
Adopted. I guess it explained a lot. Grandma always told me that I looked like my mother, but whenever I'd asked for evidence she'd always changed the subject. And Grandma had never had a husband. I know people can have children out of wedlock, but in those days.........  
Anyway, I now had thirty days to find my birth family and move in with them, and I didn't have a clue how to go about it. I caught the bus to the LA centre of Births, Deaths and Marriages, hoping that this might be a good place to start off. When I finally arrived, I approached the surly secretary who was typing into her computer.  
"Uh...... excuse me?" I said.  
"Yes."  
"Well, I've uh, just discovered that I was adopted and I was wondering if this was the place where I could find out who and where my birth family are."  
"Right. How old are you girly?" The secretary sneered at me above her glasses.  
"I'm fourteen and a half."  
"Let's see, is fourteen and a half older or younger than eighteen.....'  
I could see where she was heading. "Younger but -"  
"No one under the age of eighteen is permitted to find out who their birth family are."  
"But if I were over eighteen, this would be where I could find out about my heritage?"  
The secretary was thoughtful. "Well, yes. But you're not. Goodbye."  
I wasn't going to give up that easily. "Please, if I can't find a place to live within thirty days I'll become a ward of the state....... I really need to find my birth family. My adopted grandma is dead and I have no place to live............"  
The secretary sneered. "Oh, poor little pretty, blond, rich girl. Quite frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. If you ask me, I think it would do you good to get away from those mansions and designer labels for a few years."  
How could this woman be so rude! Obviously she had no sympathy for abandoned orphans. "Look, I have $100 in my pocket right now. If you would only show me my file......"  
The secretary's face brightened up immediately. "Of course my dear! And your name is?"  
"Michaela Morgan."  
She typed my name into the database. "Date of birth?"  
"March 14, 1983."  
"Good, you're file number 746375364496." The secretary returned a few minutes later with a folder. She held out her hand and I exchanged the money for the folder. "Read away girlie."  
I walked over to a sofa and sat down. My file read:  
  
Adopted Name - Michaela Morgan  
Given Name - Michaela Manson  
D.O.B. - 03.14.1983  
Birthplace - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
Sex - Female  
Mother's Name - Fergie Manson  
Father's Name - Skipper Manson  
Siblings upon birth -  
Neuton Manson - Male  
Tweedle-Tay Manson - Male (twin)  
  
I nearly died. These boys, whom I hated and resented so much, were actually my brothers. Not only that, but Tweedle-Tay was my twin brother. No wonder we looked and sounded so exactly alike! No wonder we shared the same birthday. We were twins! My shock quickly turned into excitement. Sure, Manson's music sucked, but I was about to become a member of the most perfect family in the world. They were as quintessential as the Brady Bunch. Now all I had to do was find out where they were.  
*********************  
I stood in the middle of the newsagency, hoping that no one would notice me leafing through Manson fan mags. I had to find some way of figuring out where they were. Then I saw a list of shows. Manson were due to perform at a charity concert on Staten Island in New York on the 25th of September. I decided that I would catch a bus to New York, suss out the situation and then introduce myself to my mother, father, brothers and sisters. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to see their reactions when they saw me. 


	10. Chapter 9 TweedleTay's Story

Chapter 9 - Tweedle-Tay's Story  
September 25th, 1997 - Staten Island, New York  
  
As I made my way backstage, there were hundreds of girls screaming. My brothers Neuton and Grubbery smiled and waved, as did I. It was great getting all this attention. I hoped the girls would still be screaming in twenty-five years time. And let's face it, they probably would be - Manson were just too hot to be one-hit-wonders, or two hit wonders as we now were.  
My brother Neuton closed his eyes and hit an F note. I quickly joined him by singing an A, and Grubbery topped it off by singing a C. it sounded gorgeous, even if I do say so myself. However, it was much harder to sing in perfect harmony with our ear plugs in. It didn't really matter how good we sounded though because, god, how can I put this nicely? Well, Manson fans weren't exactly musical connoisseurs. If the truth be told, as much as it hurts to say this, our fans really only liked us for our looks. Our age and "pretty boy" looks had given us a reputation for being a teenybopper band who were only liked by twelve year old girls. The sad thing was, it was true, and it really hurt to admit it.  
I quickly warmed my fingers up on the keyboard and went to hair and make up. I have the greatest admiration for make-up artists, it's amazing what they can do for you.......... Thankfully, I was a guy and only had to spend fifteen minutes with the make-up artist, compared to the Spice Girls who each had to spend an hour in make-up before they could go on stage.  
In half an hours time we were all ready. I took a deep breath and braced myself. Six thousand screaming girls awaited. 


	11. Chapter 10 Michaela's Story

Chapter 10 - Michaela's Story  
September 25th, 1997 - Staten Island, New York  
  
Everything was going to plan. I had been, admittedly, watching Tweedle-Tay for the past few days and I had perfected my imitation of him. I had just been to K-Mart to buy an outfit identical to the one I knew Tweedle-Tay would be wearing today. Sure, I looked a bit strange, going into the boys' department, but it would all be worth it. I had to get backstage at the Manson concert.  
I walked confidently towards the security guards and waved. The second they saw me they freaked. "Tweedle-Tay!" one called. "Hurry up. You'll be on in a minute."  
I obviously had to say something, but I had no idea what to say. "Stay cool." I said. "I'm fine."  
"Good luck Tay."  
I had pulled it off! "Uh, thanks."  
The second I got into the Manson's backstage area, I sat back and put on my diskman. I hummed along with No Doubt for about half an hour until I saw Tweedle-Tay, Neuton and Grubbery walking towards me from a distance. I threw off my diskman and stood behind this pane of glass. I was so excited. I was about to meet my long lost brothers. And those adults, they must be my parents! I nearly screamed in excitement. As Tweedle-Tay walked past me he stopped and stared. He ran his fingers through his hair as though he was checking out his reflection. When I did not do the same he realised that I was a girl and not his reflection. He quickly walked through to the door and into the room. He looked at me strangely. "Who are you?" he asked.  
This was my big chance. "My name is Michaela. Michaela Morgan. Well, Michaela Manson actually. I know this must be hard to swallow but -"  
Tweedle-Tay laughed. It was a cold, nasty, bitter laugh. "Let me guess - you want to marry me?"  
"No. I think that would be a bit incestuous." I smiled. "Actually, I am your long lost identical twin sister."  
"This is just too scary. I'm calling security." Tweedle-Tay started walking to the door.  
"No! Don't go! It's true. I was adopted out of the family on the day we were born. I don't know why our parents didn't want me........"  
"I've met tonnes of crazed fans, but you take the cake."  
I was hurt. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. There was supposed to be a lot of hugging and acceptance. Maybe even a recording contract. But not utter disbelief. "Well, if you don't believe me, come and look in the mirror." We walked to the mirror and stood, side by side. We looked so alike it was uncanny. There were only two small differences. I had a chest (a small one, but a chest all the same) and Tweedle-Tay was maybe half an inch taller than me. "Do you really need any more proof than this?"  
"This is just too weird. You are just too weird. Why don't you get a life and go away?"  
I felt around in my pocket. Sure enough, it was still there. I took my birth certificate out and silently showed it to Tweedle-Tay. He screamed in shock. "My parents wouldn't do this! They love all their children! They wouldn't send my twin sister away!!!!!!!!!"  
"Well," I said. "They did. Don't think I'm happy about it." Tweedle-Tay was crying. I gave my brother a hug.  
"Tay, what's going on?" Neuton entered the room. He saw us and did a double take. "Oh my god!!!!!!" 


	12. Chapter 11 Neuton's Story

Chapter 11 - Neuton's Story  
September 25, 1997 - Staten Island  
  
The show had been spectacular. The girls had screamed, we'd played well, and the reviews would be great. I was on top of the world. I couldn't decide how many female fans to let backstage to meet the band.... Five? Ten? Maybe only one......... I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice Tweedle-Tay walk off behind a glass door. When I finally noticed he was gone I figured that he was checking out his reflection in the mirror and went off to see the security guards. I was just in the middle of telling them who to let in when I heard a scream. It wasn't a scream of the breathy, high pitched, female fan kind, it was the scream of my own brother, Tweedle-Tay. Of course I ran to see what was wrong at once.  
When I finally reached the glass door I cried "Tay, what's going on?" It was then that I saw it. I didn't believe it at first. "Oh my god!!!!!!" There was not one Tweedle-Tay in the room, but two. And they were hugging. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was not seeing double. Then one of the Tweedle-Tays approached me.  
"Hi," they said. "You must be Neuton. I'm your fourteen year old sister, Michaela. I'm also Tweedle-Tay's identical twin sister."  
I looked at the girl. Maybe I wasn't seeing double after all. Then the other Tweedle-Tay said,"Relax Neut. It's okay. You're not seeing double. I'm the real Tweedle-Tay and that really is a girl called Michaela. She tells me that she's my long lost twin sister. I don't know whether she's telling the truth though.............."  
I looked carefully at the "twins". "I don't think she is telling the truth. If she was, I would recognise her, after all I was there at the birth."  
Tweedle-Tay and I both looked doubtfully at Michaela.  
"Bloody hell!" she screamed. Tay and I took a step back in horror. "I look exactly like Tweedle-Tay and I have a birth certificate to prove that I'm your sister, what more proof do you need????"  
Tweedle-Tay looked at me and frowned. "Think hard Neuton. Do you remember one baby or two? We don't want to send our sister away."  
I thought really carefully but, as most people my age could understand, it's really hard to remember what happened when you were two. Then I saw an image in my brain. A photograph. A Polaroid photograph. The photograph showed two babies, one wrapped in blue, one in pink. The baby in pink had eyes that glowed red. The baby in pink was a devil baby. The baby in pink was Michaela. Michaela was the devil baby! "No!!!!!" I screamed and turned around, but it was too late. My parents and brothers and sisters were standing in the doorway, blocking the entrance. Dad was angry, Mom was happy and Grub, Lizzie, Kessie and Mackie? Well, they just looked confused.  
"Well, this may be a wild guess," my father said. "But I think that these two identical people are Tweedle-Tay and............ Michaela."  
Michaela walked towards Dad. "Yes, I'm Michaela, your long lost daughter. Pleased to meet you."  
Dad laughed. "Long lost daughter........ did it ever occur to you that we might want it to stay that way?"  
Michaela's face fell. Tweedle-Tay looked at Dad curiously. "So she really is my sister? Why did you send her away?"  
Our father didn't answer. Nobody did. Finally I said,"Because Michaela is evil. Tay, Michaela is your........ evil twin."  
Michaela burst out laughing. "Evil? Me? As if! I've come here to live with you all because I'm your daughter, or your sister, depending on who you are. My adopted grandmother is dead and I have no place to go. I want to be a Manson and make you all proud. I just want to be a part of the family."  
My mother started to cry. "You can be a part of the family dear. I've missed you so much. You are so gorgeous!!" She ran over and hugged Michaela. Grub, Kessie, Lizzie and Mackie did the same. Tweedle-Tay walked over and joined the hug.  
But, I couldn't get the image of the devil baby out of my mind. Obviously Dad couldn't either. That's why he said,"No. Michaela cannot stay in our house. Fergie, you remember how we discussed this the day the twins were born...... we can't have the devil in our house."  
"No." I couldn't believe it. My mother standing up to my father? "No," she repeated herself. "America is a democracy. Therefore our house is a democracy. I want Michaela to stay with us and so do Tweedle-Tay, Grubbery, Elizabeth, Kestrel and MacArthy. I think Neuton wants her to stay too, don't you Neuton?"  
"I don't think he does," said Dad.  
"Neuton?" prompted Mom.  
"Well, uh, I don't really care one way or the other." I tried to get out of one sticky situation. Michaela looked hurt but I couldn't get the devil baby to leave my mind. I'd have to be careful around Michaela.  
"Anyway," Mom added. "Even if Neuton hadn't wanted Michaela to stay it wouldn't have mattered, it would still have been six against two. Besides, what sort of man would want to throw his daughter out on the street?" 


	13. Chapter 12 Michaela's Story

Chapter 12 - Michaela's Story  
October 2, 1997 - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
  
I had now been living with the Manson's for around a week and everything was going great. I was sharing a room with my little sisters Elizabeth and Kestrel and they were soooooo sweet. They were always drawing me pictures and letting me plait their hair, and I read them stories every night before bed. I guess this is one of the bonuses of meeting your younger brothers and sisters nine years after they're born. I was being home schooled with Neut, Tay, Grub, Liz and Kess and Mom was really impressed with the standard of my work. I was better than Tweedle- Tay in most areas - except Geography and Art and was even more advanced than Neuton when it came to Math. It just went to show that the California education system wasn't so bad after all.  
My Mom was teaching me how to cook. Apparently it was a Manson family staple to have learnt to cook by the time you were ten. In LA, land of house servants and cooks, no such rules were in place. So it was a little embarrassing learning to cook along with Liz, my nine year old sister.  
Everyone was always so happy, it was just like the Brady Bunch. Who would have known that I could be such a good, wholesome person? I could have stayed that way forever, but little did I know that my Dad was planning for my happiness to end very, very soon. 


	14. Chapter 13 TweedleTay's Story

Chapter 13 - Tweedle-Tay's Story  
October 5th, 1997 - Tulsa Oklahoma  
  
Michaela, Michaela, Michaela. That's all it ever was in our house these days. While the rest of the world was screaming "Tay! Tay! Tay!" , my own mother and younger brothers and sisters were screaming "Kay! Kay! Kay!". Dad wasn't. Neuton wasn't. To them I was grateful. While it had been fun having a twin sister in the house at first, the fun was wearing off. Mom was always saying stuff like ,"Michaela's so smart - she's at eleventh grade mathematics level" and "Michaela is so pretty, she has such shiny hair and bright eyes". I sometimes felt like screaming at her ,"Hello! I'm here too. Remember me? Tweedle-Tay? Michaela's twin? I look like her, I'm just as smart as she is and I can write a damn good song."  
Michaela was exactly like me in almost every way. I couldn't understand why everyone was making such a big fuss over her. They never made a big fuss over me. One day Michaela and I were sitting in tutoring doing our creative writing assignments. We had to write about something evil. I knew exactly what I would write about. I would write about my evil twin, Michaela.  
"Tay?" a voice called, tapping me on my shoulder.  
It was Michaela. Great. "What?"  
"Tay, what are you writing about? I can't think of anything evil to write about. I think that this is an awful exercise. We're all so happy here, why would we want to write about something wicked?"  
"I don't know. Ask Mr. McCormick."  
"That man has evil on the brain. That man is evil." Michaela paused and smiled at me. "That's it! I'll write about an evil teacher, a music teacher who kills off his pupils love of music.........."  
I could of killed her! How dare she make herself so impossible to hate and be jealous of! Why did she have to make herself so damn likable? "Great idea," I said, smiling weakly. Great. Now I had to change my story idea. Michaela wasn't evil. I was. Jealousy was a sin and I was a sinner. Yeah, I would write about a fourteen-year-old boy who had everything his heart desired but was still jealous of his twin sister who had virtually nothing. He was the most evil person in the entire world. "Oh lord," I said. "Please forgive me."  
Michaela turned around to look at me again and smiled. "What's the matter, Tay?"  
"Nothing," I replied. "Nothing at all." 


	15. Chapter 14 Skipper's Story

Chapter 14 - Skipper's Story  
October 9, 1997 - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
  
My son Grubbery was assisting the little blonde devil in putting on her rollerblades. "Hi Dad," he said. "Kay and I are just going rollerblading for a couple of hours okay?"  
"No Grubbery," I replied, glaring at Michaela. "It's not okay. The lawn needs mowing, my car needs washing and your room is a mess! On top of that, you have to go to England next week to work on the new Christmas album. You boys need to practice!"  
Michaela smiled. "I'll wash the car and help clean the room Grub! That way we can get on with the rollerblading sooner....." Michaela was already starting to remove the blades.  
"No, no, no....." I protested. "It's Grubbery's work. You go off and have fun."  
"But -"  
"I insist," I said. "Now be off with you."  
"Okay," Michaela said reluctantly, and she skated gracefully out of the garage.  
Grubbery looked at me. "Dad, Neuton washed your car just last week and Tay mowed the lawns yesterday. Our room is perfectly neat and we practice every day. Why won't you let me rollerblade with Michaela?"  
I led Grubbery into the house. "We are going to have a family meeting. I didn't want Michaela to feel awkward so I sent her off."  
Grubbery sat down at the table with the rest of the family. I frowned. "Michaela has been staying here for two weeks. We've all gotten to know her and I think there are a few things we all agree on -"  
"She's pretty," said Elizabeth.  
"She's clever," said Kestrel.  
"She can't cook!" said Grubbery, cracking up.  
"She's exactly like me," Tweedle-Tay suggested.  
"She reads me stories," mumbled MacArthy.  
"She's evil," said Neuton.  
"She's our daughter," Fergie said meaningfully.  
"Well yes," I continued. "All of your comments have an element of truth in them. But lets face it. Michaela is not a Manson. she may be our flesh and blood, but her spirit is not of our calibre. The girl is not even a Christian............"  
Elizabeth smiled widely and raised her hand. I nodded to her. "Daddy, I don't think that will be a problem. I've been reading the bible to Michaela and she's been listening very carefully. I am sure that she-"  
"Elizabeth," I said. "It is very kind of you to try to convert Michaela and we all appreciate it to no end but learning about the bible is not the only thing a good Christian has to do. Michaela would have to be christened and - look, the point is, it's too much work."  
Fergie frowned. "Skipper darling, I would be very willing to teach Michaela and make her a proper Christian. If I worked at it, I'm sure she'd be fine within six months."  
"Well, if only that was our only problem. The boys are going to England next week. How is it going to look when we turn up at the airport with two Tweedle-Tay's - and one of them wearing a dress. That's how the record buying public would perceive it," I said.  
"Why don't we just explain that she's my long lost twin sister -" Tweedle-Tay began.  
"I know! I know! Michaela can join the band! We do need a bass player and she can sing pretty well too," Grubbery interrupted excitedly.  
"No. No. No," I answered. "Boys, its all well and good to do these things but the public would not like it. We are having enough trouble with people calling you girls, it would not do us much good to bring a girl who looks exactly like Tweedle-Tay into the band. Even if we took Michaela around with us people would want to know why we adopted her out of the family. The last thing we need is a Manson family scandal. The pop music industry is all about image. Your image is wholesome. An evil twin sister would rip that image to shreds."  
There was a silence. Finally Tweedle-Tay spoke, "So you're saying?"  
I laughed. "Michaela has to go. We'll give her three days to find somewhere else to live. After that we'll kick her out. No buts! If she stays, I leave. And the band will be nothing without me, so Michaela will leave." It was great. My family were staring at me in awe. I was so powerful! Then I heard a gasp. I turned around to see Michaela running up the stairs. I smiled. Power. Mmmmmmmmm. 


	16. Chapter 15 TweedleTay's Story

Chapter 15 - Tweedle-Tay's Story  
October 10, 1997 - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
  
Michaela wasn't speaking to me. In all honesty I didn't blame her. I mean, had anyone in my family, our family, said or done anything when Dad said Michaela had to leave? I didn't really understand what Dad had against Michaela. In the entire time she'd been here she'd been the picture of innocence, ebullience, good humour, intelligence........ she was so much like me. Dad loved me, yet hated Michaela. Neuton hated Michaela too. He wasn't quite so blatant, but you could see it. They kept on saying that Michaela was evil but I didn't have a clue what they were talking about. Neither did Michaela. Mom knew, yet she didn't agree. Somehow I had to find out what they were talking about. I felt something rub against my leg. I looked down to see my cat Mama. I picked her up and walked into the kitchen where Mom was reading a magazine. I was on the cover. I cracked a smile. "Mom?" I asked.  
She looked up, startled. "Oh, it's you....... Tweedle-Tay?" I nodded. "Come, sit down."  
"Mom, what's this that Dad and Neuton keep on talking about? You know, how they keep saying that Michaela's evil........."  
Mom frowned. "Darling, it's the most ludicrous story." She sighed. "On the day that you and Michaela were born, I was the happiest woman in the world. You were everything I'd ever hoped for in a child. Your father was into photography and I had been a model so I of course had no objections. He was photographing the two of you with his Polaroid camera and Michaela's eyes must have reacted badly with the flash............ You see, in the photo Michaela's eyes glowed red. Now your father, well he overreacted, my goodness, I've never seen such an absurd reaction...... Some Jehovah's Witnesses had been to the house just a couple of days previously and they'd told your father something about evil children with red eyes. He took it all in and basically said that we had to desert Michaela. If I did not leave Michaela in the hospital he would take you and Neuton and I would never be able to see any of you again."  
I sat there, not quite believing what I was hearing. "I never met my twin sister because her eyes were red in a photograph?" I asked in disbelief.  
My mother laughed bitterly. "That's your father for you. But you must understand, he was trying to look after your best interests. Admittedly, he got that completely wrong but -"  
"No! He ruined my sister's life. Imagine what she would be like if she'd lived with us all along. Look how happy she is now...... Think about what she's had to go through in the past year. My success took away her friends but if she'd been living here she could have shared that success and -"  
"And she'd be a few million dollars poorer," Mom cut in. "Your father did his best. Don't be too harsh on him."  
"Don't be too harsh on him??? He's the one who's being harsh! He's leaving Michaela homeless in a few days because it would be bad for the band's image. Well FUCK the band!!! I'll leave the band unless he lets Michaela stay!"  
My mother was speechless. Finally she said, "Tweedle-Tay. I'm surprised at you. I love Michaela just as much as you do, probably more, but cussing is certainly not the way to go about getting her to stay. Your father is in charge here and you may not like it but you may as well get used to it because that's the way it is. And go ahead, leave the band but the only person you're going to hurt is yourself. You are not as indispensable as you think you are."  
I was close to tears. "Well at least I'm not a weak pushover!" I yelled, and stormed out of the room. Mama fell to the floor and yelped. I had to find Michaela and apologise as soon as possible. I ran up the stairs and into the room Michaela shared with Elizabeth and Kestrel. For the fist time in over twenty-four hours Michaela was not there. I looked around the room in confusion. I suddenly heard someone coming up behind me. I turned around to see Michaela. She ignored me and pushed past. "Michaela," I said. "Where have you been?"  
She laughed bitterly. "I hardly think that's any of your business. Anyway, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."  
"Oh, come on Kay. I'm sorry. I really want you to stay."  
"Cut the crap. I heard you all yesterday, I'm not a Christian and I'm bad for Manson's image." Her eyes were brimming with tears. "How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me. I thought you were my brother...." Michaela wiped the tears away. "Anyway, in case you didn't notice, I'm not talking to you. I'd appreciate it if you left."  
Michaela pushed me into the hall way and slammed the door. "Fine then!" I screamed at the door. "Be that way, don't talk to me, see if I care!" I walked slowly into my room and began to sing,"MMMpop ba do ba da ba do pop........." Such a meaningless song......... such a meaningless life. 


	17. Chapter 16 Michaela's Story

Chapter 16 - Michaela's Story  
October 11, 1997 - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
  
Today was the day. Today was D-Day. Today was Tweedle-Tay-day. Today I would wear my KMart outfit and so would Tweedle-Tay. I knew that he was not very fashion conscious and always selected the clothes closest to the door so I moved the KMart outfit so that it was the closest to the door. I would also put a bulge into the front of my trousers. That bulge would, of course, be the gun that I would use to threaten Tweedle-Tay with. I dressed and walked down the stairs into the kitchen. My brothers and sisters were already eating breakfast. I smiled at them all and said, "My goodness! You're wearing the same outfit as I am Tay!"  
"Wow!" he answered sarcastically. "Do you feel like talking to me today? I am like, SO honored."  
"Well," I said cheerfully, "I've realised that it's not YOUR fault that I have to leave. There's really nothing you can do. I guess you're not in a high enough position to be able to help." I smiled, trying to infuriate him. "Anyway," I added, "it is my last day here so I may as well enjoy myself. The streets won't be much fun."  
Tweedle-Tay could see right through my attempt at a guilt trip and ignored me. I flicked my hair. "I'm going to be clearing my stuff out of the basement. It would be nice if you'd help, considering that this is probably the last day you'll ever see me."  
"Michaela, I will help you, but not because you're trying to guilt trip me. I really will miss you, we all will."  
I laughed, maybe a little too loudly. "Don't be silly! I'll be fine. You just get on with you career. Now come on! I don't have all day."  
I grabbed Tweedle-Tay's hand and pulled him down into the basement. Once he was down the stairs I shut the door.  
"I don't think this will take very long," Tweedle-Tay was saying. "You don't really have that many things down here. Actually I can't see anything that belongs to you......."  
I put my hand down my pants and took out the gun. "For gods sake Tweedle-Tay! You didn't really think I was bringing you down here for that did you?"  
He turned around and saw me. I was spinning the gun around my little finger. I'd been practising and it looked pretty good. "Michaela! What the hell do you think you're doing???"  
I walked down the stairs, batting my eyelashes and swaying my hips. I actually felt pretty stupid and Tweedle-Tay was my brother, not my lover, but if this was how they did it in the movies this is how I would do it in real life. "Well," I said. "Basically, I want to stay here. I'm happy here. Now our family doesn't want me to stay, so, I guess that unless you can convince them to get me to stay I'll have to shoot you. We look so alike that no one would figure out what had happened for a few weeks, maybe even months......"  
The one hole in my plan was my lack of knowledge about the Manson family. In my rush I had forgotten that my brothers and sisters were all trained in karate. Tweedle-Tay kicked the gun out of my hand and onto the floor. "Michaela," he said. "This isn't fair. I know you're not going to shoot me. You don't have it in you. There's nothing I can do -"  
"You wanna bet I wouldn't shoot you????" I walked towards the gun but Tweedle-Tay got there first and knocked me to the ground, winding me badly. "Ow!" I moaned. "What did you do that for??" My tough-girl facade was disappearing fast. I felt the tears brimming in my eyes. I tried to hold them back, I really did but...... "It's not fair! You have it so easy! You just live here in this little Brady Bunch house so happy and serene.......... you make millions of dollars doing the one thing you love. My grandmother, my only friend in the world is dead and now when I have no place to go you just send me away. My grandmother was no Carol Brady but she would be shocked at what this family, my family are doing to me. We weren't even really related but she loved me a million times more than any of you ever will. You wouldn't even have to give up much if I stayed, I'm not a conspicuous girl, all you'd have to do -"  
"Michaela, I told my parents I'd leave the band but it didn't work......"  
"Don't be stupid Tweedle-Tay and don't underestimate my intelligence! If you had threatened to leave the band they'd be letting me stay. You are by far the most popular band member. Have you never heard those stupid little twelve-year-old girls screaming at you?????" I made my voice high pitched and breathy, "Tay! Tay! It's really him! Oh my god! It's really him!" Tweedle-Tay looked at me blankly. "Don't pretend you haven't, because I know you have. They scream it out at me for goodness sake!"  
"I told Mom I'd leave and she said I wasn't as indispensable as I thought I was.............." Tweedle-Tay protested weakly.  
"That's because you haven't carried it out in the least. All you'd have to do is miss a couple of rehearsals and refuse to go to England until they agreed that I could stay. Is that really to much to ask? You wouldn't do that for your twin sister?"  
"Yeah. I'll do it. But I hope you're right."  
"Of course I'm right!" I replied and pasted a smile on my face. "Now help me up." I extended my hand to my brother and he pulled me off the ground. Just then we heard the door close. Neuton was standing at the top of the stairs.  
"Well, well, well," he said shaking his head as he walked down the stairs. "What have we here? Tweedle-Tay, Michaela and - a gun!" Neuton picked up the gun. "Well, it's a good thing I arrived before my brother was dead isn't it?" He paused. "Oh, look! Matching outfits. You are a clever girl Michaela. How will I know which one of you to shoot?"  
Tweedle-Tay and I looked at each other in fear and moved so that we were standing about three metres apart. Finally Tweedle-Tay said, "Well, I guess if you can't tell which one's which you'll have to let us both go."  
"I could," Neuton agreed. "But the devil had been in this house two weeks too long. I'm not leaving this basement until Michaela is dead. Tweedle-Tay, all you have to do is notify me of who you are in some way."  
Neuton stared at us both. I honestly had no idea what to do. There was obviously no escape. Neuton was blocking the exit. I didn't want to die. Not one bit. But....... Tweedle-Tay had a lot ahead of him. Fame, love, happiness, money. If he died I would get into a lot of trouble. If I died the Mansons would be rid of me and I would be with my grandmother, Annabelle Morgan.  
My thoughts were interrupted by Neuton. "If I can't tell the difference between you soon I'll have to shoot you both," he said.  
Okay. So I would die or we'd both die. This made the choice a lot easier. All I had to do was something that Tweedle-Tay would never do. I looked at Tweedle-Tay sadly, mentally saying goodbye and walked slowly towards Neuton.................. 


	18. Chapter 17 Neuton's Story

Chapter 17 - Neuton's Story  
October 11, 1997 - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
  
It wasn't fair. Tweedle-Tay was my best friend. He knew everything about me, he even knew about the time that I kissed a girl in "101 Dalmatians" and she ran home crying to her mother. Now Michaela probably knew about it too, seeing as Tay was spending all his time with her. It was so stupid. Dad had told me all about Michaela, how she was the devil and how she would kill our family....... Tweedle-Tay still wanted to be her friend. Even now that Michaela wasn't speaking to him he was still sucking up to her. I asked him why he would want to be friends with the devil and all he said was, "How can she be the devil when she's exactly like me? I am not the devil. Neither is Michaela." Tweedle-Tay was so narcissistic. See?? One month ago I wouldn't have uttered a bad word about Tweedle-Tay but since Michaela had come we hadn't been nearly as close. Grubbery was just as bad. I tried to make up for the loss of Tweedle-Tay by hanging out with Grubbery but he was just as intrigued by Michaela as Tay was.  
But today it would all end. Michaela would leave and the Mansons would live happily ever after. At least, that's what I thought would happen. However, this morning, when she came down to breakfast I could tell that Michaela had no intention of leaving. I could see it in her eyes and in that bulge in her pants. Something told me that it was a gun. And when she asked Tweedle-Tay to go down into the basement with her I knew that she was going to use that gun to kill him and take his place in the Manson family.  
I had to stop her. I let the twins go down into the basement and left them there for around ten minutes. Then I moved in for the prey. When I entered the basement I saw the twins holding hands in some sick, incestuous way. "Well, well, well," I said shaking my head as I walked down the stairs. "What have we here? Tweedle-Tay, Michaela and - a gun!" I picked up the gun. "Well, it's a good thing I arrived before my brother was dead isn't it?" I paused. "Oh, look! Matching outfits. You are a clever girl Michaela. How will I know which one of you to shoot?"  
The twins looked at each other in fear and moved so that they were standing about three metres apart. Finally one of them said, "Well, I guess if you can't tell which one's which you'll have to let us both go."  
"I could," I agreed. "But the devil had been in this house two weeks too long. I'm not leaving this basement until Michaela is dead. Tweedle- Tay, all you have to do is notify me of who you are in some way."  
I stared as the twins. Which one was Michaela? I knew that Tweedle- Tay was maybe an inch taller than Michaela but they were standing too far apart for me to be able to tell who was taller. And Michaela had taped her breasts down. I was so ashamed. I couldn't even tell the difference between my brother and this impostor. I didn't want to shoot my brother but unless he admitted who he was soon I'd have to shoot both twins. Finally I said, "If I can't tell the difference between you soon I'll have to shoot you both."  
Maybe that would convince Tweedle-Tay to own up. The twins just stood perfectly still. Finally one of the twins looked longingly at the other and walked slowly towards me. When the twin was standing directly in front of me they kissed me softy on the lips. Only one person would kiss me like that ............ Tweedle-Tay!!!! He felt the same way. I shot the twin that was looking on in horror. I shot Michaela. She died after one bullet hit her in the heart. I looked down at Tweedle-Tay who was standing next to me and smiled. Tweedle-Tay did not smile back. Tears were streaming down his face and he was aghast. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!!!!!!!!!" he screamed into my face in an unusually high pitched voice. He ran up the stairs and out of the basement. 


	19. Chapter 18 Michaela's Story

Chapter 18 - Michaela's Story  
October 20, 1997 - Secret location, England  
  
Okay, so I guess you're a little confused. Who died? Tweedle-Tay? Michaela? Well, let me put it this way, this is not the kind of kitschy story that has reports from beyond the grave. That's right, my pathetic attempt at suicide failed. But it really wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know that Neuton had an incestuous crush on Tweedle-Tay? I couldn't possibly have known that. But now.............  
I convinced the Manson's to bury Tweedle-Tay, who they still believed was me, in their back yard, along with other family members. Neuton wanted to throw him into a lake but I knew they couldn't do that or they'd simply die when they discovered that Tweedle-Tay was dead and that I was taking his place. I mean, they'd be horrified anyway, but if they thought they'd thrown him away like a piece of rubbish.......... They'd find out who I really was soon. How long could I go on pretending to be a famous member of the opposite sex? They'd find out sooner or later, probably sooner.  
I felt someone grab me from behind. I screamed and turned around. It was only Grubbery. "Hi Tay!" he said.  
"Uh, hi Grubbery."  
"What are you getting me for my birthday?"  
Grubbery's twelfth birthday was in two days time and I'd completely forgotten. "I don't know....... what do you want?"  
"A new game for the Playstation, speaking of which......." Grubbery began.  
Neuton entered the room. "Tay, Grub, it's time to practice. We have to write a couple of Christmas carols for the new album."  
"Right," I said, and Grubbery and I followed Neuton into a room towards the back of the house we were renting. A man I had never seen before was sitting there. Neuton and Grubbery said hello and sat down. I stood there dumbfounded.  
"Tweedle-Tay, great to see you again," the man said warmly. I had no idea how to answer.  
"Earth to Tweedle-Tay!" Grubbery screamed.  
"Don't you remember me?" the man asked. All I could do is shake my head.  
Neuton rolled his eyes. "It's Christopher Sabec, our manager. What is wrong with you Tweedle-Tay? Anyone would think Michaela was still here the way you're carrying on. Don't worry. She's gone and we can all be happy again."  
I quickly regained my composure. "I knew it was Chris, I was just having you all on." I laughed loudly. The others joined in weakly as I sat down.  
Christopher looked serious. "Boys, today we have to get down to business. We have to write a couple of good Christmas songs. Tay, do you have any suggestions? You've always been good at this sort of thing."  
I couldn't think of anything to say. Everything that came to mind was just crap. But I had to say something. "How about this for lyrics." I cleared my throat. "I walk through the department store, the displays are always such a bore, but when I see a Christmas tree, a passion wave comes over me. It's that time of year, Christmas is here, and all I wanna do, is spend it with you, yeah, woah, bop a doo............"  
  
*********************  
  
That evening when we were eating dinner, both Grubbery and Neuton were eyeing me strangely, Neuton more strangely than Grubbery. Finally Neuton said, "Tweedle-Tay was acting strangely today." I nearly choked on my steak.  
"Really?" said my mother absentmindedly.  
"Yes," he continued. "Today when we were practising he forgot who Chris was, made up some stupid lyrics about a department store at Christmas, sang about half an octave higher and forgot the lyrics to half our songs. His keyboard playing wasn't nearly up to scratch and he seems about an inch shorter."  
"Oh no!" said Kestrel. "He's not sick is he?'  
Neuton laughed. "No Kessie, I wouldn't say that." He paused dramatically. "What I think has happened is........ I shot the wrong twin."  
My father's face began to turn red. "You shot you're brother?????? The person sitting at our table is not Tweedle-Tay???? It's Michaela????"  
"Yes," I choked. "It's me."  
"I was right!!!!!" he yelled. "You did kill my son!!!!!"  
"I did not shoot your son!" I said calmly. "The shooting was like, totally not my fault. I attempted suicide so that Tweedle-Tay could live. I tried to convince Neuton that I wasn't Tweedle-Tay by doing something that Tweedle-Tay would never do. I kissed Neuton. I wasn't to know that Neuton had an incestuous crush on Tweedle-Tay."  
Neuton was embarrassed and angry. "Me? Incestuous? If anyone was incestuous it was you and Tweedle-Tay. Mom, Dad, you should have seen them together, holding hands, hugging........."  
"Tweedle-Tay and I were not incestuous in the least. We were only friends, like any brother and sister. I fell over, Tweedle-Tay took my hand to help me up. And isn't it normal to hug?" I defended myself.  
Dad was pacing up and down. "This is great. Just great. The tabloids are going to love this. What are we going to say? Tweedle-Tay has been murdered and Neuton was the one who shot him? I think not. Michaela is going to have to take Tweedle-Tay's place, permanently."  
"No way! I'm not going to pretend to be a guy for the rest of my life," I protested.  
"Then we'll just say that Tweedle-Tay was really Michaela and a girl all along."  
"The public is not going to buy that," my mother said.  
"Oh they will, believe me, they will," my father confirmed.  
I was shocked. Saying that Tweedle-Tay was a girl was weird but my father didn't seem to be upset at all about my twin brother's death. The others all had tears in their eyes and Kestrel and Elizabeth were crying openly but my father was only concerned about the future of the band. It was ridiculous. 


	20. Chapter 19 Handsome Bill's Story

Chapter 19 - Handsome Bill's Story  
November 5, 1997 - Paris, France  
  
Today was the day. Probably the most exciting day of our competition winner Sarah's life and pretty high up on the scale for me, considering the ratings we'd get. Today I would be interviewing the band Manson for the entire three hours of my radio show "Handsome Bill's Hot 30" and Sarah would meet them. I wasn't into Manson myself, but they were nice enough guys and the little girls who listened to my show were obsessive over them so............. My co-host Wacky-Jo came in with three mugs of coffee for Sarah, me and herself. "Are you excited?" she asked Sarah, in a syrupy voice.  
Sarah nodded. "I can't wait to meet Tweedle-Tay," she said breathlessly. "He's so hot. Maybe, if we meet and I act like it's no big deal he might go for me. Do you think that might happen?"  
Of course, I knew that it was not going to happen and I laughed at her inside my head but I said, "Sure. Anything's possible." Of course, some things are more possible than others.......  
"Sarah," Wacky-Jo continued, "the guys will be here in a few minutes and you don't officially meet them until half way through the show so it might be nice if you would just go and sit in that sound proof booth over there okay? You'll be able to see and hear the show and everything but you're not allowed to talk to the guys - and flirt with Tay - until halfway through the show, okay?"  
Sarah nodded and Wacky-Jo lead her into the sound proof booth. Wacky- Jo fixed up her make-up and we went through the show. Soon we were paged. "Uh, Bill, Wacky, the Mansons are here. There's something you just have to see."  
"Send them on up," I replied, raising my eyebrows at Wacky-Jo. And my god - when the Manson's came up there was something to see. Tweedle-Tay was wearing a leather mini-skirt and skintight red shirt. What was more Tweedle-Tay had breasts. I looked over towards Sarah in the sound proof booth. Her mouth was gaping in shock. "Hi," I said. "The show's about to start. We'll chat in a minute." We played the intro to our show and then I said, "Here we are broadcasting live from Paris again, it's inside this time because it was damn cold outside last time-"  
"Yep," Wacky interrupted. "Too cold."  
"And we're at the Time Studio in la France and I can hear, in the background the distant sound of................ Manson!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
"Manson??" screamed Grubbery. "Where? Where?"  
"Manson are here??" Neuton joined in. "My lord, I love that band."  
"You like that band?" Tweedle-Tay asked disbelievingly. "I hate that band. They are like, so lame. Their clothes, their hair, their music, yuck!"  
"Anyway," I continued. "We have Manson here for three whole hours and I do believe we have a bit of a scoop for you. Be back in a moment after "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" at number 30." I turned off the mike and looked at Tweedle-Tay in disbelief. "Had a sex change have we?" I asked jokingly.  
"Not exactly," he replied. "I'll explain later."  
"Okay," I said. It was unusual. I couldn't think of anything to say. The Manson's had caught me totally by surprise. The song ended and I turned the mike back on. "Well, we're back again too and so are your favourite band, Manson. Now you're not here in the studio like we are but if you were you'd be shocked at what you saw. Tweedle-Tay is wearing a dress."  
"Well," said Grubbery. "That's because Tweedle-Tay is not Tweedle- Tay. Tweedle-Tay is Michaela, our fourteen year old sister."  
"I couldn't pretend to be a guy any longer," said Tweedle- Tay/Michaela.  
"Right. May I ask you why you pretended to be a guy in the first place?"  
"Our manager thought we would be more popular that way. I'm sick of girls throwing themselves at me. I never expected that to happen. It makes me feel uncomfortable when they do that," Michaela continued.  
"Then you won't like meeting Sarah!" Wacky-Jo chortled.  
I looked behind me into Sarah's booth. She was staring down at us in shock. "Well," I said. "This revelation that you are in fact a girl is quite amusing because many people have said that you looked like a girl in the past and Manson have always been shocked and distraught by the rumours."  
"I look like a girl because I am a girl," Michaela replied.  
"Manson were upset about the rumours because although Michaela is a girl, I am not and neither is Grubbery," Neuton added.  
"You say that you pretended to be a guy because your manager thought that it would make the band more successful. Why do you think.....?" 


	21. Chapter 20 Michaela's Story

Chapter 20 - Michaela's Story  
March 14, 1998 - Tulsa, Oklahoma  
  
Our announcement that I was a girl was initially rejected by the public. Handsome Bill was famous for his practical jokes and the radio listeners just presumed that Manson were making fun of themselves and going along with the joke. However, after I posed as the female I was on a few magazine covers, the public eventually believed my story. The most helpful, public relations wise, of all the stories was the fashion shoot with Sixteen. It turned my femininity into a feminist cause titling the story "It's Different for Girls". It outlined how I had been forced to pretend I was a guy to obtain popularity for the band because the record company officials had thought a girl in the band would ruin the image. Sixteen claimed that I was an "inspiration to all young women" because I had refused to keep up the charade any longer. It was a conspiracy at work and I felt sick being part of something that was so belittling for my twin brother.  
But the funny thing is that having me in the band has actually been helpful, sales wise. Even though I couldn't write a song if my life depended on it I have become somewhat of a role model for girls my age and a sex symbol for the guys. Oh! That reminds me - this revelation has been very helpful to the therapists of America too. Thousands of twelve-year- old girls have gone into therapy, believing that their crush on Tweedle-Tay was a lesbian crush. It makes me laugh. Tweedle-Tay's collection of AAA bras has stopped growing as well.............  
So here I am now, on my fifteenth birthday........... Tweedle-Tay's fifteenth birthday. In a few minutes I'll be going to the movies with my family to celebrate. We've booked a theatre to ourselves or otherwise we wouldn't be able to watch the movies due to the screaming fans. I think we're going to see "Romy and Michelle" (my favourite) and "Star Wars" in honour of my dead brother. I am somewhat happy about my success and about my acceptance into the Manson family (finally!) but I can't help thinking that Tweedle-Tay didn't have to die for this. You might be one of those people (as the twelve-year-old girls who aren't in therapy are) who have seen through the conspiracy and blame me for Tweedle-Tay's death, but I don't think it's my fault at all. Sure, I did buy the gun and I was stupid enough to load it, but I did not shoot Tay. Neuton (who still hates me) did. And if you want to go back further than that, it was my father, Skipper, who brainwashed Neuton and sent me away in the first (and second) place. Anyway, I tried to make Neuton shoot me rather than Tweedle- Tay......... So Tay's death is 55% my father's fault, 40% Neuton's fault and just 5% my fault.  
I still cry about the death - at least once a week and I have nightmares about it regularly. But I tend to think of my brother as a prophet. When he wrote the song "With You in Your Dreams", he intended for it to be about his grandmother, but it turned out to be the message that consoled us, his family, whilst we grieved his death. I wish I could say it was true, but unfortunately this story does not end the way all good stories end. Oh well, here it goes..........  
And they all lived happily ever after.  
  
To find out what happens next, check out Manson's In The Attic, Part 2 of the Tweedle-Tay Saga. 


End file.
